This invention relates to outboard boat motors and particularly to an adjustable steering apparatus that enables the boat motor to be turned conveniently through large angles and enables the steering position to be modified as desired.
Outboard boat motors, particularly small electrically powered motors, are used in fishing boats to quietly position the boat around brush, bottom features, and other features that may be fished. These outboard motors include, a drive assembly and an extension that extends upwardly from the water when the drive assembly is submerged for operation. A suitable mounting mechanism connects to the motor extension member and allows the motor extension member to rotate about its longitudinal axis or steering axis to direct the thrust of the drive assembly. Also, the mounting mechanism includes a tilt or other device that allows the drive assembly to be raised out of the water as desired, such as when the boat is propelled by the main engine.
Prior fishing or trolling motors included a steering handle rigidly attached to the motor extension. The handle was used to pivot the extension about the steering axis and thereby direct the thrust of the drive assembly. The handle also oftentimes included power controls for controlling the output of the drive assembly. To operate the motor in the prior steering systems, the operator simply reached over to the handle and moved the handle to direct the thrust of the drive assembly, and controlled the thrust through controls either mounted on the handle itself or elsewhere.
A problem arose with the prior fishing motors when it was desired to reverse the thrust or change the direction of thrust substantially. Since such motors were usually not capable of mechanically reversing the thrust, the motor had to be turned 180 degrees to reverse thrust from a given position. However, pivoting the drive assembly 180 degrees about the steering axis required moving the handle 180 degrees and this changing position placed the handle inconveniently out of reach and oftentimes well over the side of the boat. Also, aside from having to turn the motor through large angles periodically, steering often required moving the handle to an inconvenient position away from where the operator was sitting. The operator often had to either change positions in the boat or lean inconveniently one direction or another in order to reach the handle and steer the boat.